No complaints about your methods, Mr. Holmes (rewrite)

Sorry Sherlock fans, you won’t find the tweeds here.

Director Guy Ritchie wanted to introduce a Sherlock Holmes that has never been seen before—and that’s exactly what he did. Ritchie presents a slightly more graphic and fast-paced rendition of the detective’s story, but he captures the spirit of Sherlock Holmes with a touch of spice, even without the deerstalker hat and magnifying glass.

Traditionalists may argue the essence of Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr., is lost in Ritchie’s script with Mr. Downey’s hyper-twitchy performance and eccentric persona. There’s no question Ritchie bulked up the physicality of the original script and explored the characters in depth, but the dangerous scenarios and superhuman traits bestowed upon the actors give the film its edge and energy.

Mark Strong plays Lord Blackwood who, despite his execution at the start of the film, rises from his grave to resume his killing spree and carry on his evil plan to propel an ancient secret society to the head of the universe. Holmes and Watson, played by Jude Law, are out to stop him before he takes over the world. The film sets the stage for a sequel that is sure to star Holmes’s archenemy and criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarity.

Rachel McAdams plays Irene Adler, a cold-blooded criminal and seductress who takes on Sherlock Holmes—and isn’t afraid to leave him bared naked in handcuffs. Beauty and brains, too.

Mr. Law plays Holmes’s pipe-smoking sidekick, but he’s far from Holmes’s inferior. Mr. Downey may be the leading man, but the film wouldn’t be quite as captivating without Mr. Law’s polished and professional edge to harmonize Holmes’s maniacal behavior. He read all the novels, and did his part in liberating a new flavor of Watson that Ritchie aspired to uncover as well.

According to Ritchie, there was so much unexplored in regard to the spirit of the characters and the plot. Ritchie’s script combined with the acting on screen created characters true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s but brought them into modern cinema, where they were meant to arrive sooner or later.

Mr. Downey and Mr. Law compliment each other perfectly, despite gossip column buzz of a homoerotic subtext. Holmes exposes his jealousy at Watson’s soon-to-be engagement with Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), and Watson can’t seem to resist the temptation to fight the bad guys with his best friend. Their impassioned, affectionate relationship and quick-witted dialogue is one of the film’s main sources of entertainment.

Ms. Adams, with her elegant pink gown and luscious red lips, adds a refreshing splash of color to an otherwise bleak and gray setting. It took a lot to become Holmes’s main squeeze, including a few crushed bones while in her corsets, said the actress in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. Eight-time Academy Award nominee for best costume design Jenny Beavan admits in an interview with Vanity Fair that she took liberties and pushed the colors, especially with Irene Adler. But Mr. Law’s crisp tailoring and Holmes’s vintage attire suit the actors well, and the costumes are certainly within the time period.

Ritchie had his first taste of the sleuth’s stories in boarding school by the time he was six years old, when he listened to the narrations in his dorm room. He’s come a long way since then, and he’s not done with Holmes yet.


LINKS:
Jenny Beavan on costume design.

Chicago Sun-Times interview with Rachel McAdams

Guy Ritchie on Sherlock Holmes